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Contributing to Lumen

We welcome contributions from the community! Here's how to help.

Ways to Contribute

🐛 Report Bugs

Found an issue? Open a GitHub issue:

  • Be specific about what failed
  • Include traceback/error message
  • Provide minimal reproducible example
  • Your environment (OS, Python version, etc.)

📚 Improve Documentation

Help others learn Lumen:

  • Fix typos and clarify language
  • Add examples and use cases
  • Improve existing guides
  • Submit new tutorials

✨ Suggest Features

Have an idea? Open a GitHub issue:

  • Explain the use case
  • Describe what you want to build
  • Vote on existing feature requests

🔧 Contribute Code

  • Bug fixes welcome
  • New features via discussion first
  • Performance improvements
  • Tests and test improvements

💬 Help in Community

  • Answer questions on Discourse
  • Share examples and projects
  • Participate in discussions

Getting Started with Code

1. Fork & Clone

# Visit and fork the repo on GitHub
[https://github.com/holoviz/lumen](https://github.com/holoviz/lumen)
# Then clone your fork
git clone https://github.com/YOUR_USERNAME/lumen.git
cd lumen

2. Create Environment

# Using pixi (recommended)
pixi install

# Or using pip
pip install -e ".[all,dev]"

Pixi Environments

Lumen uses pixi for development. Key environments:

  • test-312 / test-313: Full test suite with AI and SQL dependencies
  • test-core: Minimal test environment
  • docs: Documentation building
  • lint: Code linting with pre-commit

3. Make Your Changes

# Create a branch
git checkout -b fix/issue-name

# Make changes, test, commit
git add .
git commit -m "Fix: clear description of change"

4. Run Tests

# Run test suite with pixi
pixi run -e test-312 test-unit

5. Lint Your Code

# Run linting
pixi run -e lint lint

6. Build & Preview Docs

# Serve docs locally with live reload
pixi run -e docs docs-serve

# Build docs
pixi run -e docs docs-build

7. Submit PR

  • Push to your fork
  • Open a Pull Request
  • Link any related issues
  • Describe your changes

Contribution Guidelines

Code Style

  • Follow PEP 8
  • Use type hints where possible
  • Add docstrings to functions/classes

Testing

  • Add tests for new features
  • Ensure all tests pass
  • Aim for >80% coverage

Documentation

  • Update docs for new features
  • Add docstrings
  • Include examples

Commit Messages

  • Clear, descriptive messages
  • Reference issues: "Fixes #123"
  • Use present tense: "Add feature" not "Added feature"

Need Help?

Code of Conduct

We're committed to providing a welcoming and inclusive environment. By participating, you agree to uphold the HoloViz Code of Conduct.

Thank You!

Every contribution helps Lumen grow. Thank you for your help! 🙌